Shay Given slams ‘Sunday League’ Nayef Aguerd in West Ham United loss v Fulham
Shay Given has slammed West Ham United star Nayef Aguerd for his performance against Fulham, suggesting his display was the standard you expect to see at “Sunday League”.
David Moyes’ side arguably put in their worst performance of the campaign at Craven Cottage on Sunday 10 December, losing 5-0 to Marco Silva’s side in a dreadful display both in and out of possession.
While Aaron Cresswell received a lot of criticism for his performance in the Hammers backline, Given was just as unimpressed by Aguerd’s display at the heart of the Irons defence, slamming his lack of urgency labelling it Sunday League standard.
Speaking on Match of the Day 2 (10 December, 32:30) he said: “It felt like one of those days from West Ham, defensively they were all over the shot. This is Aguerd on the ball, trying to play, there’s no urgency, there’s no movement.
“Nobody’s sticking a tackle in, there’s nobody getting tight to people. Look at Willian, look how much space he has on the ball and again, it’s a free shot on the edge of the box from Iwobi. Pereira cuts it back, with no clearance in the middle of the box.
“I know it’s a Sunday, but you’d see it on a Sunday morning sometimes at Sunday League football.”
Mark Chapman quickly said: “On behalf of all Sunday League players, don’t be so disrespectful.”
Not good enough
When you think about Moyes’ side, the main thing that most supporters will picture in their head is a defensively strong outfit that is hard to break down, with a little bit of a creative spark at the top end of the pitch to hurt teams on the counter.
But against Fulham, the entire Hammers’ backline was all over the place and didn’t look at all organised or set up to thwart the Cottagers’ attacking talent. Aguerd wasn’t the worst performer, but he didn’t set the tone as he had done at other points throughout the season.
Despite conceding five goals, the Moroccan defender didn’t enter a single tackle in the match and only contested one ground duel. That demonstrates the lack of urgency that Given pointed out live on air and it is unacceptable in any Premier League match.
Hopefully, the West Ham backline received a similar dressing down from their manager in the changing room and will put in a much-improved performance next time out. The display at Craven Cottage was nothing short of embarrassing.
In other West Ham news, David Ornstein has predicted what he sees happening to Moyes at the end of the season